Produced by Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE BILLIARD ROOM MYSTERY BY BRIAN FLYNN [Illustration: Decorative glyph] GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS NEW YORK BRIAN FLYNN MYSTERIES THE CASE OF THE BLACK TWENTY-TWO THE BILLIARD ROOM MYSTERY FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES, OCTOBER, 1929 _Manufactured in the U. S. A._ CONTENTS I Mr. Bathurst as an Aid to Memory 9 II In the Billiard Room 21 III Mr. Bathurst and the Bed-clothes 31 IV Under the Billiard Room Window 43 V The Methods of Inspector Baddeley 56 VI Lieutenant Barker Attempts to Remember 69 VII Lady Considine Complicates Matters 83 VIII Mr. Bathurst Has a Memory for Faces 96 IX Mr. Bathurst Calls Upon the Postmistress 110 X Walk into My Parlor 124 XI What Was Found on the “Spider” 138 XII Major Hornby and the Venetian Dagger 147 XIII Mr. Bathurst Pots the Red 162 XIV Mary Consults Mr. Bathurst 176 XV Mr. Bathurst Takes His Second Look—with Mr. Cunningham’s Assistance 190 XVI The Inquest 204 XVII Inspector Baddeley Puts His Cards on the Table 218 XVIII Mr. Bathurst Partially Emulates His Example 229 XIX Mr. Bathurst’s Wonderful Sympathy 237 XX Mary Receives Her Second Proposal 246 XXI Mr. Bathurst Waves His Hand 255 XXII Mr. Bathurst Reminiscent 261 _The_ BILLIARD ROOM _Mystery_ CHAPTER I MR. BATHURST AS AN AID TO MEMORY